Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP)

About Us

Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention was originally created and is currently being studied at the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington.

The MBRP team of researchers and clinicians at UW currently includes Sarah Bowen, Neha Chawla, and Joel Grow. The clinical and research team originated under the mentorship of Alan Marlatt, whose research, innovation and support made this work possible.

Sarah Bowen, Ph.D. is currently an Acting Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. She received her doctoratal training under the mentorship of Dr. Alan Marlatt at UW's Addictive Behaviors Research Center. Dr. Bowen's research focuses primarily on mindfulness-based therapies for relapse prevention, with specific focus on mechanisms of change, including negative affect, thought suppression and craving. She has authored numerous articles and book chapters on this and related topics (see publications), and is co-author of the Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for Addictive Behaviors: A Clinician's Guide. Dr. Bowen has facilitated MBRP groups in private and county treatment agencies, and at the VA Medical Center in Seattle, and has offered trainings to researchers and clinicians both in the U.S. and internationally. She is particularly interested in the application of mindfulness-based work to dual-diagnosis and under-served populations.

Neha Chawla, Ph.D. is one of the co-creators of MBRP and co-author of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for Addictive Behaviors: A Clinician's Guide. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington and maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Seattle. Her research interests include the development and evaluation of mindfulness-based treatments for substance use disorders, understanding mechanisms of change, issues related to therapist training and dissemination, and the assessment of therapist competence. Dr. Chawla has facilitated several trainings and workshops on MBRP and led groups in private and community treatment settings in Seattle and on the East-coast. For more information about Dr. Chawla's private practice, please click here.

Joel Grow, M.S. is currently a pre-doctoral intern at the Seattle VA. His research focuses on clinical applications of mindfulness meditation, primarily in the area of addictive behaviors. He has specific interests in therapist training and dissemination, as well as brief interventions and integrated primary care. He has taught in the university setting for the past 10 years, and was awarded the UW Extension "Award for Teaching Excellence" in 2005. He co-facilitates MBRP groups in both private and community treatment settings.

Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention was largely inspired by and based upon the research of Dr. Alan Marlatt. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D. was the Director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center and Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle for over 30 years. His primary focus in both research and clinical work was in the field of addictive behaviors. In addition to over 200 journal articles and book chapters, he published several books in the addictions field, including Relapse Prevention (1985; 2005), Assessment of Addictive Behaviors (1988; 2005), Harm Reduction (1998), and Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS): A Harm Reduction Approach (1999). He co-authored of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for Addictive Behaviors: A Clinician's Guide.

Dr. Marlatt was an inspiration to countless students, clinicians, researchers and clients, and while he will be greatly missed, his innovative and compassion approach to treatment of addictive behaviors will continue to serve as a foundation and inspiration for generations to come.